Month: March 2012

Yes, it’s that time again when Sephora sends their shopaholics the coveted event bringing shock and awe. Look what landed in my mailbox today…

Sephora VIB Spring Event - 29 March 2012 - 6 April 2012

Billed as “9 Full Days of Savings For a Stylish Spring”, Sephora invites all VIBs to a special Chic Week event with a special ‘preview day’ on March 29, 2012 in all Sephora stores, Sephora inside JCPenney and Sephora.com (use code CHICVIB for US checkout only). The event runs from 29 March through 6 April of 2012. If the preview day is anything this year like it was last year, be prepared for sheer craziness, long lines and people acting as if they’ve never seen a Sephora before in their lives. If you aren’t a VIB but know one, try to ask politely/bribe/kidnap one as VIBs can bring a friend with them on March 29 to also get the discount. Pay it forward, folks!

I really can’t say I’m enthused about this collection. The colors skew too warm for me and the palette is rather bland. This is definitely a collection for those who aren’t big risk takers in the color department this Summer. What are your thoughts?

FINALLY, the fan collection nail polishes from Rescue Beauty Lounge are available for pre-order!

The gorgeous polishes concieved by die-hard RBL, brought to life by Ji Baek

Late last year when I had just gotten into RBL, I was able to vote for two polishes. Both of them made it into the final cut. As for which ones–that can wait. Considering at the time of this writing only about 16 precious hours are left for the pre-orderand if you don’t get them now, you will have to wait until late April.

Have you pre-ordered yet? Or did you miss it? EIther way, let’s look closer at these four fabulous colors so you know what to order and what to get backup bottles of. Please note descriptions and press photos of all shades are credited to the RescueBeauty.com website.

Halcyon (Fan Collection)

Danielle’s dream color is a soft, sage green with a pink glimmer of brilliant reflective shine, just like when the morning dew tenderly kisses a succulent plant. The beauty of succulents keeps her calm and serene.

Halcyon -- Shimmery serene green w/ pink shimmery goodness

Aqua Lily (Fan Collection)

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to visit the Kuda Huraa Island of the Maldives. The turquoise water is a crystal-clear sea green and what really had me spellbound was that it reflected a shimmery-pink hue from the shedding scales of the colorful, vivid, and exotic tropical fish. This color is Kay-Di Kat’s homage to her beloved mom, Lily, an Aquarius who swims like an enchanting mermaid. I imagine Lily swimming in this paradise with its mesmerizing water in the Island of the Maldives

The metamorphic moment when the presence of ammonia meets copper (II) transforms into a radiant blue. Cuprum is Latin for copper, and the dual nature of this element is what Neeta wanted to capture in a bottle.

Cuprum(Cu) - The geek in me saw the chemical symbol for copper first, then the gorgeous color! My 2nd place vote!

Due to an increase in raw materials and Ji’s determination to keep the quality of her polish to the standard we all know and are rabid about, these polishes will retail for $20 USD each. Like a good little RBL, I pre-ordered all four and will review them once I’ve received them in late April/early May. In the meantime, four lucky bloggers got their hands on these polishes and have reviewed them. So while you wait or wonder which ones to buy or are backup-worthy, check out the reviews from Scrangie, All Lacquered Up, Kellie Gonzo and Nails and Noms.

While surfing the Neiman Marcus website I spied some more delicious nail goodness from one of my favorite nail brands, Deborah Lippmann. All hail the new Mirrored Chrome Nail Lacquers!

“I am thrilled to introduce my new Mirrored Chrome Nail Lacquer. An elegant new formulathat creates a true mirrored, chrome-like finish. Previously something you could only achieve through pricey salon treatments, now you can get that luxe, highly-reflective look at home with my new formula. It’s like Minx in a bottle!” – Deborah Lippmann

Came home today to the most wonderful package from the UK. It was the pieces I ordered from the Spring/Summer 2012 Human Fundamentalism collection!!

Sit back, relax and enjoy the eyeshadow product PicSpam. A review will follow in a few weeks but as these pieces are starting to slowly appear on Sephora.com (with a Not In Stock message for now) I wanted to give my readers a quick look and swatches for reference.

DISCLOSURE> I own stock in LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Henessy) which is the parent company of Sephora.

Concealer is a beauty product I discovered was indispensable for ‘erasing’ my sleep-deprived caused dark circles under my eyes from too many all-nighters as an Engineering student in college. It’s also been a godsend for covering my acne scars and any evidence of late night partying. So as soon as I got word from The Muse that her highly-recommedned Boi-ing concealer from Benefit Cosmetics was being produced in darker shades, I was on it in picoseconds. Obviously other gals had gotten wind of this because I had to go to two Sephoras and three Ultas before I finally found one to take home with me.

Benefit’s Boi-ing Concealer in Shade #5

Benefit Cosmetics has released three new shades of their Boi-ing Concealer in #3, #4 and #5. #3 is a medium neutral, #4 a medium-deep with yellow undertones and #5 a medium-dark with red undertones. Their pitch wording on the product reads as follows:

“You name it, boi-ing hides it! This industrial-strength concealer camouflages dark circles, shadows and discoloration for a seamless, natural-looking finish without creasing or fading. it’s the concealer that goes the distance.”

Yeah, this is as dark as it gets for now.

Weighing in at a hefty 3.0 grams (0.1 ounces), it comes in a black screw-top shallow plastic pot encased in a paper ‘peep’ box. The cream is slightly stiff to the initial swipe of a finger, but warms to your body heat and spreads nicely when using your finger. If you use a concealer brush the stiffness takes a bit longer to go away as the product warms to your skin. I noticed no product ‘drag’ as I do with my MAC Studio Finish concealer but it wasn’t as smooth going on as my NARS concealer. Unfortunately this product did crease on me (and perhaps because I have very oily skin) and I had to use a little bit of MUFE HD translucent powder to set it and discourage any further creasing. The pigmentation is very good and I was able to cover my light acne scars as well as I have been with my MAC Studio Finish concealer or my MUFE Full Coverage concealer. It is a shade lighter than my MAC Studio Finish concealer and about two shades lighter than my NARS concealer.

Benefit’s Boi-ing Concealer swatch in #5 (deep) no flash/HDR

Benefit’s Boi-ing Concealer in #5 (deep).

One of my biggest peeves with Benefit is that their concealers did not come in darker shades for beauties of color. It seems they’ve finally listened to this market. I am dissappointed that there wasn’t a deep color with yellow undertones and a darker espresso-like color for deeper undertones. #4 color is best suited for those NC42 and under while #5 for NW 45 and under. My second pet-peeve is this product contains mineral oil (paraffinum liquidium). While not the first ingredient, if you have sensitive skin and want to try this, I highly suggest purchasing from a retail establishment that takes returns like Sephora or Ulta. I have sensitive skin and haven’t had a reaction to this product so far after almost two weeks of use but I took a chance. Overall I am pleased with this concealer but it is only because Benefit made one that fits my skintone. Were I an NW45 – 47 this may work best as a color corrector rather than a concealer.

There’s Mineral Oil in this?!? Why?!?

An interesting point to note is this product is made in France, not the US. I find French-made cosmetics to be of very high quality so I believe that has a lot to do with the very nice performance of this product. Benefit’s Boi-ing concealer retails for $19 USD and is available at Sephora, Ulta and other upscale retailers.

There are eleven (11) pieces in this special collection. According to ChicProfile.com, here’s a breakdown of what’s included:

Terra Azzura Bronzing Powder & Blush

Formed with the iconic Emilio Pucci logo, it has separate bronzer, blush and possible highlighter strips that when all used together provides a bronzy blush glow to the skin. I’m a fan of the Terracotta bronzer so I’ll more than likely pass on this.

Meteorites Perles d’Azur

The world-famous meteorites highlighters that are more than worthy of their reputation. I own the Cruel Gardenia highlighter and the color is amazing on dark skin. If you’ve ever wondered if this would work for you definitely give it a try!

Terra Azzura Brush

This is in pretty Pucci print case! More than likely I’ll get it because it’s Pucci, my mom wore Pucci in the late 70’s so I’m programmed to want it.

Ecrin 4 Couleurs Eyeshadow Palette

#13 Capri (consists of a cream, pink, coral and brown shades)

Mascara Le 2 de Guerlain by Emilio Pucci

Indigo (dark indigo blue mascara)

Terracota Khol Kajal

I first saw this last year in the Guerlain boutique at the France Pavillion in EPCOT center in Disney World. The creamy smoothness of how this applied to my eye and the pigmentation really impressed me. Turns out this product had been out of the Guerlain product line for several decades but was being reintroduced to consumers. It is offered regularly in a dark black but for this collection it comes in a beautiful cobalt blue. Definitely picking this up.

Terracotta Kohl Kajal (source: ATime4Beauty)

Terra Azzura Vernis

I don’t remember Guerlain ever having nail polish before so this is a first.

#01 Paradisio (coral pink with a dazzling brilliant finish)

#02 Riviera (electric blue indigo with a metallic finish)

Terra Azzura Gloss

#10 Porto Fino (Coral pink)

#11 Porto Ercole (Chocolate)

#12 Porto Azzuro (Indigo blue)

The international release date is scheduled for 3 June 2012. In North America (more specifically the United States) It is possible that it could be released earlier by online retailers such as Nordstrom.com, NeimanMarcus.com and Bloomingdales.com. I will keep you posted if anything changes. Lemming for swatches? Then check out ATimeForBeauty’s website for more! The website is in Russian but if you’re using Google Chrome as a browser you can easily get a ‘close to English’ translation.